meltingpages's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Wow this was really grim and depressing, and more than a little bit fucked up. There's abuse of all kinds, rape, murder, animal cruelty, child abduction, and more. Both Suzy and Lim have very little remorse for their actions, but every now and then you would see glimpses of the girl that Suzy could be, with some help. This is incredibly dark and twisted, but it was also a great read about the darkest part of human nature and how trauma impacts us.
mirtelreads's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
esquared's review against another edition
4.0
I received a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Given the dark subject matter, I'm not sure what it says about me to say that I enjoyed this book, but it really was a compelling and fast read for me. There were a couple of times where I hoped that Suzy would be able to seize opportunities to have a better life, but that's not how reality typically works and I think if the author had gone that route it would have read as trite or cheesy. The ending with the dogs and the old man was painful to read, but as you learn more about Suzy and spend time in her head (a dark and sad place to be), her reactions - while not necessarily making sense - are aligned with who she's become due to the amount of trauma she's experienced in her life. Definitely has some Natural Born Killers vibes, but without romanticizing what she and her brother do. I found myself rooting for them, even though they did some atrocious things. This is one that has stayed with me. Part of me wants to know what happened to Suzy, but the other part of me knows I probably really don't want to know.
thedustbunnyslibrary's review
4.0
The only thing I knew about this (fictional) book was that it’s about a brother and sister going on a killing spree. I was NOT ready for the emotional baggage that came with it.
Trigger warnings for rape/incest, sexual abuse, and animal abuse.
In the first chapter we learn that our main character, Suzy, has been continuously raped by her mother. This left her traumatized, and the pain and confusion in her words throughout her escape is so convincing at times I felt like I was reading the author’s deepest ruminations rather than a fictional character’s. (note I’m not making assumptions about the author - I simply felt as though I was reading someone’s diary)
For a novella, it was so deep and raw. There were multiple lines that hit hard for me, such as “the memory raped long after the person stopped” and “the positive memories made me feel like I enjoyed the bad.” Ugh! Tear jerkers! But the whole narrative is written so beautifully and solemnly. You’re there experiencing the flee from home, the mild relief after releasing their anger on others and playing God, and the emotional suffering throughout.. you see the toll the siblings’ upbringing has taken on them.
True Crime focuses heavily on sex abuse, trauma, misogyny, religion. Pure rage toward society’s selfishness. Like I said, this was a heavy one. It’s definitely worth your time but please take caution before reading!
Trigger warnings for rape/incest, sexual abuse, and animal abuse.
In the first chapter we learn that our main character, Suzy, has been continuously raped by her mother. This left her traumatized, and the pain and confusion in her words throughout her escape is so convincing at times I felt like I was reading the author’s deepest ruminations rather than a fictional character’s. (note I’m not making assumptions about the author - I simply felt as though I was reading someone’s diary)
For a novella, it was so deep and raw. There were multiple lines that hit hard for me, such as “the memory raped long after the person stopped” and “the positive memories made me feel like I enjoyed the bad.” Ugh! Tear jerkers! But the whole narrative is written so beautifully and solemnly. You’re there experiencing the flee from home, the mild relief after releasing their anger on others and playing God, and the emotional suffering throughout.. you see the toll the siblings’ upbringing has taken on them.
True Crime focuses heavily on sex abuse, trauma, misogyny, religion. Pure rage toward society’s selfishness. Like I said, this was a heavy one. It’s definitely worth your time but please take caution before reading!
saumyaasaurabh's review
2.5
eh. the other shoe never drops. its written well enough. and the 'murderers playing god and getting away with it' tactic is as real as a character study can be. but it's annoying nonetheless. and the horror element somewhat fades after a few pages so wtf.
kitty31478's review
2.0
I'm unsure how I feel about this book because whilst it was relativly easy to read (with some difficult bits in between) and nicely written a lot of it just sort of fell flat.
Starting with the beginning you get thrown into Suzy and Lim's life and shit hits the fan instantly. The problem with this is we don't get much context, story or plot. This book could've been longer telling us more about what led to this point. Instead it was 150 pages that just fell short and had so much more room for potential.
I also think overall the book was fairly underwhelming and just sort of ended anticlimatically.
There are also certain plot points that are so undeveloped. Such as Lim going to prison and we find out we are now 2 years into the future. So much just got skipped out and for what?
Overall I just think the story and the characters fell flat. The murder scenes were described well but it just should've all been developed more.
Starting with the beginning you get thrown into Suzy and Lim's life and shit hits the fan instantly. The problem with this is we don't get much context, story or plot. This book could've been longer telling us more about what led to this point. Instead it was 150 pages that just fell short and had so much more room for potential.
I also think overall the book was fairly underwhelming and just sort of ended anticlimatically.
There are also certain plot points that are so undeveloped. Such as Lim going to prison and we find out we are now 2 years into the future. So much just got skipped out and for what?
Overall I just think the story and the characters fell flat. The murder scenes were described well but it just should've all been developed more.
illmakeyoulaugh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
theinkwyrm's review
2.0
Just an exceedingly grim and bleak novel that kind of gives The Devil All the Time vibes. That, combined with the multitude of triggers, made this just not the book for me, and the only reason I finished it is because it’s a novella and not a full-blown novel.
slintangel's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
sometimes the answer is to stop writing weird fetishy trauma porn. half of the book is just suzy getting oggled at, being threatened with sexual assault or listening to tyrades about women being worthless. it's boring once you get over the shock factor and how poorly it's used.
every character other than the main two is innocent and dumb and trusting as opposed to our eternal edgelord who not a barbie, but someone you'd find at the thrift store (actual quote). a woman stops her car in the middle of the night because the plot needed to advance and was poorly excused with "women are not taught to trust their own gut". please...
animals are constantly dying which also gets exhausting and boring. theres a huge time skip of about two years right when things get mildly interesting and then boom. it's just weird misogynistic plotlines and more animal murder. the ending is incredibly lackluster and with the way this girl has been behaving its VERY hard for me to believe no one thought anything was wrong with her and tried to put her in some form of psychiatric care. you're really not as slick and smart as your thought process seems to think.
every character other than the main two is innocent and dumb and trusting as opposed to our eternal edgelord who not a barbie, but someone you'd find at the thrift store (actual quote). a woman stops her car in the middle of the night because the plot needed to advance and was poorly excused with "women are not taught to trust their own gut". please...
animals are constantly dying which also gets exhausting and boring. theres a huge time skip of about two years right when things get mildly interesting and then boom. it's just weird misogynistic plotlines and more animal murder. the ending is incredibly lackluster and with the way this girl has been behaving its VERY hard for me to believe no one thought anything was wrong with her and tried to put her in some form of psychiatric care. you're really not as slick and smart as your thought process seems to think.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Sexism
Moderate: Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Car accident
abbylee's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5